Thanksgiving trip, 2012

For our Thanksgiving holiday, the McLernon’s thought they would take a big, fun family trip. It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?  We were set to fly to Sacramento on the Friday before Thanksgiving, spend four days there with friends, and then ride the Amtrak to Eugene, where Grandma Janet and Grandpa Bob would pick us up the day before Thanksgiving.  After Thanksgiving we planned to ride the train ALL THE WAY home, for some good, fun family time.  The biggest drawback would be that our train home would arrive in San Diego at midnight, and we wouldn’t have our car.  Lucky for family, Uncle Doug volunteered (really) to pick us up at the Old Town train station at midnight Sunday night.

Rosa and Addie--Brooke is a blurr

These girls LOVE to dress up

BFFs-- need a better photographer

A week before the trip got started, Veteran’s day, Ben and I started to feel a little under the weather. By the next day (Tuesday) I was very sick, with a temperature and horrible chills.  By the end of the day, Ben was in the same condition.  As colds go, I thought that we could just ride it out and be mostly recovered by our trip….that Friday. However, we just could not get better.  Each day that went by we were still totally wiped out.  All we could do was sleep, lay in bed and force ourselves to get each other a glass of water a couple times a day. The one great  stroke of luck we did have, was the Rosaleen really didn’t get sick.  She is the one that had the cold first, but she was recovered by the time we caught it and she never had a fever.  Luckily we were able to take Rosa to school every day, because we really could not care for her (as it was we were feeding her fast food and putting movie after movie on).

After four days, I went to the doctor and was told I had bronchitis, which explained why Ben and I both were spending hours a day coughing.  But I knew, there was no way I could get on a plane the next day, so we ended up delaying our trip (twice), and we did not get to Sacramento until Sunday afternoon.  It was a big disappointment, and we then missed out on seeing many friends we had wanted to see; but we had a great time anyway.  Although, both Ben and I were still sick, and sleeping a lot, lucky for us, we do have great friends who took care of us.  Also, while we were in Sacramento, our dear and wonderful friend Marc, and his wife had a baby and we were able to meet that cute bundle of love—Benjamin Jude.

 

Rosaleen had a great time visiting with her friends Addie and Brooke and really loved staying at her friend Keira’s house.  Keira was so good at sharing and was so fun to be around.  The girls played together so well. It really was a bummer our trip was cut short.

 

Our train to Oregon was late leaving Sacramento, and we didn’t end up getting on the train until almost 2 am. We had booked the only sleeper car left, which was tiny.  It was basically a bunk bed closed in by walls. Ben slept on top, because for some reason that bed was longer.  Rosaleen and I were on the bottom and she was a really good sport.  She had been asleep until we got on the train, and then she woke up.  Once we  left the station Rosaleen looked out the window of the train, while I slept ( and Ben slept too). Finally, after almost an hour, I made Rosaleen lay down and go to sleep.

one view from the train

 

The next day we explored the train, and after a breakfast and lunch and snack, we got off the train to be met by Grandma Janet and Grandpa Bob. We were all excited, but Rosaleen was just so excited, she was the cutest thing ever. She was running to grandma and grandpa waving.

 

Two year olds and umbrellas, good combo

We had a great time at grandma and grandpa’s house, and they took very good car of us. Ben and I were still feeling low on energy and so we really did a lot of laying around, especially me.  I just couldn’t stay awake until it was Rosaleen’s nap time.  I beat her to bed almost everyday.  Grandma and Grandpa made a delicious Thanksgiving meal (with no help from Ben or I). Dinner was the traditional Thanksgiving feast, followed up with yummy desserts.  Mmmm.

Rosaleen, Thanksgiving Day, 2012

 

Before dinner we managed to play outside a little and later that day Ben and Grandpa and Rosaleen went to the park.  Lucky they did, as the other days were too soggy to go.  During our stay we also went to a drive through animal park and got to see all kinds of animals, some up close; and we went to a Christmas lights display that Rosa loved, and we also just happened to meet a Santa Clause who Rosaleen talked to!!  Too soon though, it was time to go home, all the way on the train.

dessert

Playing in Grandma's yard

Still Grandma's yard-- well almost

 

Two days after Thanksgiving, we celebrated daddy's birthday.  It was fun and we got to eat more.  I won't sugar coat it though, mommy didn't really come through on the birthday thing.  I was so sick before we left, then we were travelling and I never got it together.  Sorry Dear.  I love you and you are wonderful.  I hope you had a happy birthday because you deserve it.  I don't know what I would do without you.

 

I will spare the details here, but it is a 32 hour ride altogether, including a change trains in Los Angeles.  Rosaleen did loved the train, for about 24-hours.  Mommy liked it for about 16 hours and daddy, well he liked it until we had to get on it.  By the time we were about 5 hours from our LA stop, Rosaleen kept asking to get off the train every time it stopped.  It was sad.  The train would stop and she would jump up (our sleeper on the way home was much bigger and had a bathroom and “shower”) grab her shoes and say, “ can we get off the train.”   We did finally make it to San Diego—although we ended up NOT getting off the train at the Old Town stop because we found out  that you cannot get your luggage there. Thank goodness for cell phones—and a flexable Uncle Doug.  He instead picked us up downtown.

We did have a great trip, and we slept a lot,  and we saw many friends, even though it was not as many as originally planned.  

Trains are fun--kind of